Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN s. WEBTZ, or BURLINGTON, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 198,173, dated December11, 1877; application filed March 27, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. S. WERTZ, of Burlington, county of Des Moines andState of Iowa, have invented Improvements in Car- Couplings.

The following description, taken in connection with theaccompanyingplate of drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full andexact specification, wherein are set forth the nature and principles ofthe invention, by which the same may be distinguished from others of asimilar class, together with such parts thereof as are claimed as new,and are desired to .be secured byLetters Patent of the United States.

My invention relates to that class of devices which, are made use of forconnecting the cars of a train known as car-couplings; and the naturethereof consists in certain improvements in the construction of thesame, and novel combinations of the parts thereof, hereinafter shown anddescribed.

In the accompanying plate of drawings, in which corresponding parts aredesignated by the same letters, Figure 1 is a front elevation bf a carhaving my improvements applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical section through the draw-head.

In the drawings, A designates the drawhead; B, the vertically-slidingbolt, which is adapted to be raised from either side or top of the carby means of a rock-shaft and suitable connecting-rods andoperating-levers. D is a tumbling catch, formed with an opening throughits forward end. Pin B is passed through the opening in the catch D, andretained against displacement by means of the pin or lug I) attached tothe lower end of the pin. 0 represents the link.

The operation of the device is as follows: The coupling-pinB beingraised, carries with it the tumbling catch D, and as the latter israised, its rear end is drawn forward until it drops into the notch aformed in the lower plate of the draw-head. When the several parts arein this position, the pin cannot be released until the lower-end of thetumbling catch is raised and released from the notch a. When it isdesired to couple the cars, the link 0, entering the draw-head, strikesthe lower portion of catch D, and raises the same from without the notcha, thus freeing the catch,

and allowing the pin to drop through and secure the link. The tiunblingcatch D is entirely disconnected from the draw-head, and is held inposition by means of the pin B, to which it is secured by pin or lug b.As the catch D is secured, at its forward end, to the coupling-pin B,the rear end of said catch rests on the lower plate of the draw-head.When pin B is raised to release the link, it operates to raise theforward end of catch D, and draw the catch forward until its rear enddrops into the notch a formed in the lower plate of the draw-head, andthe catch, in this position, securely locks'the pin in place forautomatic coupling. It will be thus observed that the cars may beautomatically coupled;

and also the pin, when raised, serves to reset the catch for couplingthe cars.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

A car-coupler consisting in the combination. with the draw-head A,provided with a notch, a, of a perforated tumbling catch D andcoupling-pin B, provided with a pin or lug, b, whereby the pin, whenraised, serves to reset the catch, substantially as described.

In. testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my handthis 13th day of January, 1877.

JOHN S. WERTZ.

Witnesses:

J NO. H. GREER, O. O. MILLER.

